I'm Trying
by mandorac
Summary: A continuation of the Sam/Quinn interaction in 3x09 at the homeless shelter, some canon, mostly not!


**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Glee whatsoever!**

Quinn sat there in the choir room after Sue and Artie's exchange regarding the homeless shelter. Artie, and the rest of the Glee Club, were adamant that they wanted to film their Christmas special the same night they were supposed to provide entertainment at the shelter. She remembered what it felt like to be thrown out of her house, pregnant no less, having to ask to stay at Finn's. Then, she wound up at Puck's and finally Mercedes' house, never feeling entirely welcome, more like a burden to the host family. And then Sam's predicament the year before…she had seen firsthand what his family had gone through, losing their jobs, then their home, forced to live in the cheapest place possible on what little money they had left over. She recalled times where Sam and his kid siblings had had to go to the shelter for meals; he refused any help from her except babysitting. It was humiliating to him; she knew he tried to keep it from her, but Stacey had blown the whistle on that. As the others sat there excitedly talking about filming their PBS special, Quinn's brow wrinkled; she knew what she had to do. After rehearsal, she told Artie she would not be able to participate.

_xxxxx_

She got the information from Sue, what time to be at the shelter on Friday night. She was a little nervous when arriving but soon saw him, dishing out food for one of the many people there. She signed in with Sue and donned an apron and plastic gloves.

"Hey you…" she said quietly behind him, touching his shoulder lightly.

He turned suddenly at her touch, warmly smiling down at her. He was genuinely happy to see a familiar face, other than Sue's. All night, she had referred to him as Macauley and Mick Jagger's illegitimate love child.

"Well, this is a nice surprise…didn't expect to see any of the Glee Club here tonight," Sam said.

"They're busy with their PBS production," she laughed a little.

"And Artie didn't give you a part in it?"

"I told him I couldn't be in it; I had other plans," she said, doling out mashed potatoes.

A man approached Sam, asking for seconds on the green beans.

"Sure, sir," Sam said, putting a big helping on the man's plate.

Sue appeared between them, mumbling something about _watch the portion control, Blondie and Other Blondie_. Sam and Quinn shared a knowing smile after Sue marched off.

They were silent for awhile, doing their jobs, when Quinn felt Sam glancing at her.

"What?" she asked, smiling a bit.

"Everyone's just been telling me you've been having a rough year but you seem pretty good to me," he told her.

"I'm better. I think I was stuck focusing on everything I didn't have, none of what is good…stuff in the future," she said.

"I'm glad you turned it around. You deserve good things, Quinn," he replied.

She paused a moment, looking at him, then at the mashed potatoes.

"I'm trying," she murmured.

They went back to serving people, talking occasionally about his family, how his school was in Tennessee, how school was going for her, a little bit about her family.

Suddenly, there was a commotion at the back of the room. The entire Glee Club entered, pushing in a giant Christmas tree and more food and other props from their PBS special. Quinn watched Sam from the corner of her eye; he caught Mercedes' glance, then his smile faded and he looked down at his green beans. Mercedes' boyfriend Shane followed the group in, staying close to her.

The group greeted Sue and said hello to Sam and Quinn and set up the tree and food, then gathered around the piano to begin singing Christmas carols. Sue told Blondie and Other Blondie to join their friends in the singing.

They shucked their aprons and joined the Glee Club. They had practiced singing traditional tunes and _Do They Know It's Christmas? _and some more religious Christmas songs. Quinn kept seeing Sam throw looks Mercedes' way and Shane was keeping an eye on Sam.

The group took a break. Quinn talked to the other girls about how the PBS special filming went but watched from afar as Sam cornered Mercedes while Shane was occupied by Finn and Puck, judging by their gestures talking football.

Quinn watched Mercedes gently put her hand on Sam's upper arm, watched Sam's face fall, then Sam gesturing a bit toward Mercedes then toward himself, then Mercedes walked away from him, leaving him standing alone. Quinn watched him look toward the ceiling, blowing his cheeks out, then looked back to the floor. Her heart ached for him in that moment. She had been in that same position when Finn dumped her after Sue's sister's funeral. She remembered how alone she felt, how worthless, how unwanted.

Mercedes sashayed back to Shane, him wrapping his arm around her, then pecking her on the cheek. In a way, Quinn felt a little like a creeper, watching the scene play out between Sam and Mercedes.

The group went back to their performance, singing a few more songs before calling it a night. Sam stood behind Quinn; she could no longer hear any joy in his voice as she had heard earlier. One thing she had always found attractive about Sam, more so than any other boy, was his beautiful smooth voice, whether he was speaking or singing. Whenever he spoke to her, his voice had a way of calming her down, going straight into her ears to her heart. She could get lost listening to him sing.

That night, however, his voice behind her was dull, flat in areas, lifeless. The final song they performed was _We Wish You a Merry Christmas_ to the few people left at the shelter. Once finished singing, Sam and Quinn had to help clean up. The rest of the Glee Club left. Quinn watched Sam from where she was wiping down tables and he was across the room stacking chairs…watched him watch Mercedes leave with Shane, laughing and arm in arm. She saw him shake his head slightly and go back to his task.

They finished up in the main room and then helped in the kitchen. Finally, the captain of that Salvation Army branch came to them and thanked them for their assistance that night. Sam smiled and spoke a little to the man; Quinn thought he was putting on a fine act, seemingly his normal self.

As they put on their coats, she asked him, "So, how'd you get here tonight?"

"Oh, uh, Mr. Hummel dropped me off. I'm just gonna walk back to their place; it's not that far," he said.

"Don't be silly, Sam! It's like 28 degrees below zero out there…I'll drive you there…" she said. She exaggerated the outside temperature but wanted him to realize how cold it was, too cold to walk. He paused, just staring at her. "C'mon, it's on my way, you know that…"

He smiled finally and pulled his hat on. "Sure, thanks. I can give ya some money for gas…"

"Samuel…I said don't be silly! Let's go!"

They walked briskly to her car; she felt him protectively place his hand at her lower back as they crossed the street. The snow was falling lightly and it was bitter cold like she had said; he was glad she offered him a ride.

They sat in her car letting it warm up, both of them shivering and giggling at themselves.

"Gimme your hands…" he chattered.

She cupped her hands together and he held them up to his mouth, blowing warm air onto them, then did his own.

"Even with mittens it helps," he said.

"Sometimes I just sit on 'em," she said, laughing, shoving her hands under her thighs.

He laughed too. "I guess that works just the same!"

She flipped on the radio and found a local station and they sat there listening to the music for a bit longer. Finally, the heater kicked in and the car warmed up so she drove slowly toward the Hummel-Hudson residence.

Once there, she parked at the curb. It was obvious that most of the Glee Club had made their way there after singing at the shelter, judging by the different cars parked out front.

Sam sighed, looking out the window up at the house, pausing before he got out of her car.

"Um, well, thanks for the lift…" he started.

"Sam…you wanna take a drive?" she interrupted.

He turned to look at her, somewhat surprised, maybe a bit amused.

"If you don't mind…"

She pulled away from the curb and drove to her house.

_xxxxx_

"You want to come in for a little while? Kurt's house looked…busy…" she asked. She had seen Shane's car parked there.

"I guess…if your mom doesn't mind…"

"She's at some real estate retreat for the weekend…it's nice and quiet and quite frankly you looked like you didn't want to go into Kurt's. Care to tell me why?"

He looked down at his hands in his lap. "Let's go inside…"

They scurried into her house quickly to get out of the cold and found themselves in her kitchen raiding her refrigerator.

"Wow, your mom set you up nice…" he said, pulling out cold cuts to make a sandwich.

"Yeah, she does that when she takes off for the weekend. I guess it's okay; I don't mind going to the grocery, though," Quinn told him, as she made a mug of hot chocolate. "You want some?"

"If you don't mind, that'd be great," he said, watching her top her mug with whipped cream. She made him a mug while he put together a sandwich for her.

"You still like turkey and cheddar, right?" he asked her. "Toasted?"

She nodded, smiling. "Yep, that'd be awesome, Sam."

They took their sandwiches and mugs to the family room where she got a fire started. They sat down facing one another on a couch and ate their late dinner.

"I didn't realize how hungry I was," he mumbled, his mouth full.

"Mmm, me either…my sammie is so good!" she said, closing her eyes.

He was quiet. She opened her eyes to find him staring at her in a funny way.

"What?" she asked him.

"Um, nothing…you just said your Sammy was so good…just kinda confused me…"

She giggled. "My sandwich! I'm sorry, Sam!"

He smiled hearing her giggle. "No problem, Q…you got a cute mustache."

She poked her tongue out and licked her upper lip, giggling some more.

Once they were finished eating, she offered to turn on the TV or some music. He said music would be okay. She returned to the couch and held her warm mug in her hands.

"So, tell me, why didn't you want to go into Kurt's tonight?" she asked him quietly.

"You know, it's just been a long night and it was kinda crazy there…just wanted to relax…" he said, holding his own warm mug. "Thanks for inviting me over. It's been great getting to talk to you tonight."

"You're welcome, Sam. Um, there's something I need to ask you…"

"Shoot…"

"What's going on with you and Mercedes?" she asked. He rolled his eyes, avoided looking at her. "I saw you two talking tonight, then your singing was off…"

"It's nothing…nothing there. She's moved on and I'm cool with that. I kinda need to move on too, so she says…"

"You must've really liked her," Quinn said, sipping her cocoa.

"We had fun over the summer, but she's got herself a real boyfriend now, one she doesn't have to hide, so…"

"I'm sorry, Sam…"

"For what?"

"Because she broke your heart. If anyone deserves good things, it's you Sam. You don't deserve to have your heart broken time after time," Quinn said quietly, setting her mug on the end table.

She scooted close to him on the couch and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'm so sorry…" she whispered onto his skin.

"Quinn…" he said quietly, setting his own mug down. He didn't say her name with a patronizing tone like he did the day she caught him in the hallway but with more of a lustful tone. His own arms wrapped around her waist, and he held her tightly on the couch.

"It's been so long…" he murmured. "…since I've held you this way."

She nodded against his shoulder. "I've missed you."

She leaned up and slowly pressed her lips to his. He didn't respond. He didn't know if he should or if he shouldn't or what he should do; he just knew her lips on his was the best thing he'd ever felt. They were soft and she tasted like hot chocolate. He opened his eyes and saw her staring back at him. She pulled away quickly.

"I'm so sorry, Sam…" she scooted back to her end of the couch.

"I just…uh, you surprised me is all…" he said.

He only paused a moment and then scooted up next to her.

"No, I'm sorry, Quinn…" He pulled her into a heated kiss, running his tongue over her lips, feeling her part them and then their tongues met. They turned their heads to deepen the kiss. He heard her moan quietly. He sucked her lower lip and pulled away from her.

"What're we doing, Quinn?" he asked her. He reached over to her and held her hand tightly. "What's happening?"

"I don't know, Sam…what do you want to happen?"

He looked at her. "I'd give anything to be able to hold you like I just did every day…"

"Sam…" she whispered, gripping his hand tighter.

"I know you think I'm all head-over-heels for Mercedes and yeah I liked her but I needed a diversion when I came back to McKinley…a diversion to keep me from running to you…"

Suddenly, her lips were on his, kissing him deeply.

"Neither one of us needs to be heartbroken any longer…we need to help each other…" she said to him.

The kissing continued, their hands roaming over each other's body. He gently rested his hand on her breast, squeezing it slightly, breaking away from their kissing to look down at her chest.

"It's perfect…you're perfect…" he mumbled, kissing her again.

She put lightly moved her hand around his arm to his chest and let her fingers dip lower and lower until she felt his jeans.

"Sam…" she whispered as her fingers danced over the hard bulge present beneath his zipper.

She felt his hips twitch a bit as she pressed her palm against him there. His lips left her mouth and found her neck, causing her to tremble.

He sat up suddenly. "Is everything…?"

"I'm fine…you?"

He smiled. "I'm good…"

He leaned back to kiss her and she let herself drop back slowly to allow him to be halfway on top of her. She could now feel his erection pressing against her thigh and his hand sliding up her other thigh under her skirt.

"Is this okay?" he whispered against her neck, nibbling her there. She felt his fingers barely move over her center.

"Um, yeah, it's…okay…" She sucked in her breath with the last word as he pressed a finger against her, finding her panties moist. He groaned into her neck and pressed his boner against her harder.

He slipped his finger underneath the fabric, pushing it down and out of his way, and slowly moved his finger over her. She was hot and her folds were slick, allowing his finger easy access. When she felt him press on her clitoris, she let her head drop back and brought her hips up to meet his hand. He was still moving his hips against her thigh, almost enjoying the friction too much. He was rubbing his finger over her clit, the sound and feel of her moans on his skin almost overwhelming for him. He didn't have a lot of experience in that area of a girl and with Quinn he hoped he was doing at least something right. He felt her hands messing with his jeans.

"Your pants, Sam…" she said quietly, looking up at him.

He took his hand away from her and unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. He felt her knees open up so he moved between her legs and sat up on his knees and slowly pushed his jeans down.

He was wearing red boxer briefs with white piping. She smiled at him. She reached toward him and lightly touched his penis over his briefs, hooking a finger in his underwear and gently working them down until he was fully exposed to her. He watched what she did, open-mouthed.

"Quinn? What are we –…"

"Help me with these Sam…" she cut him off, taking his hand and sliding it up her thigh. He felt her panties and tugged them down the rest of the way. She brought her ankles together and he slid them off her feet.

He watched her pull her skirt up to her hips, now fully exposed to him, her legs back around him.

He pressed himself against her, kissing her passionately, his cock sinking into her wet heat. He pushed all the way in, unable to stop. He heard her gasp as he entered her. He grunted, trying to kiss her, trying to talk to her but completely speechless.

"Sam…Sam…have you ever?" she whispered, running her hands through his hair.

He shook his head _no_, still grunting with his thrusts.

Her hands found their way to his hips, slowing him down.

"Quinn…" his voice was deep, the words grunted out. "Feels…so…good…"

She kissed him. He was right…it _did_ feel good. It felt good to finally be connected on that level with another person and it felt good to be connected to _him_.

She began moving her hips with him, gripping his shoulders, when he whimpered and the shudder coursed through his body and his breaths came out in gasps.

She was pretty sure what happened but whispered _you need to pull out_.

He pushed himself up over her, still gasping, staring at her in shock.

"Uh, I think it's too late…" he mumbled, glancing down between them at his still moving hips.

She smiled a little, taking his face in her hands.

"S'okay Sam…" She kissed him softly.

He pulled out of her slowly and pulled up his briefs and jeans while she pushed her skirt down. They both sat in their respective spots on the couch for awhile, not saying anything.

Finally, he said, "I guess I need to get back to Kurt's…"

She reached over for his hand. "Or maybe you could call them and tell them you're staying at a friend's tonight."

"You want me to stay?"

"I think that'd be a good idea. We probably have some stuff to talk about," she said.

"I think so, Quinn…" he replied, smiling. He pulled her onto his lap, hugging her, feeling her heart beat against his chest.

"I'm trying to let you go, Quinn, but it's not easy to do…"

"Let me go?" she asked.

"So I can call the Hummels," he laughed. "I'm by your side for good now." He snuggled against her.

"You promise?"

"Mhmm…I do…" He began kissing her neck, moving up to her lips.

"It might take some work, you and me, but I want you to know…I'm trying and trying very hard to not make the same mistakes, Sam…you have my promise," she said quietly, kissing him back.

It was then that they both realized that calling the Hummel residence would have to wait…they were way too busy reconnecting.


End file.
